By David Gurney, Sports Writer
These are busy times for senior midfielder Sean Tyree.
Most of his time is consumed by the three S’s: school, soccer and sleep.
He’s setting up college visits, eating dinner with the family, and, by the way, he’s scored four goals in his first two games to help lead the South Brunswick High School boys soccer team to a 2-0 record.
But for Tyree, occupied time is good time.
”I’ve been really busy,” Tyree said. “I’ll come home, my family cooks dinner, and we’re all over the place so when we get home we’re all tired. I have brothers that play soccer and football, so we have dinner as a family and we’re all so exhausted we go to sleep.”
Tyree has been busy the last couple games, scoring four goals and captaining the team to a strong start.
His two goals on set pieces against St. Joseph’s of Metuchen gave the team a 2-1 first half lead, en route to a 3-2 Red Division victory last Friday. In a 6-2 win over Piscataway the next day, Tyree drove in the proverbial dagger on a lofted shot from inside the opponents’ half that sailed over a drawn-out keeper.On a team that lost 12 seniors, and several All-GMC caliber players, it’s only fitting that the longest-tenured member of the team (outside of the coach) has been so instrumental in the team’s opening two wins.
”Sean is playing at an extremely high level,” head coach Chris Hayston said. “His leadership has been phenomenal. He’s done a great job being positive and helping his teammates play at a high level. The team has great respect for him and he’s making our team better.
”As good a player as he is, he has been able to come through in big spots, which is huge.”
A member of the varsity squad since his freshman season, Tyree has seen three graduating classes come and go and has played on some talented teams.
In the previous three seasons, Tyree and the Vikings have gone a combined 37-20-2, with a pair of Red Division championships, trips to the GMCT semifinals and finals all three years, and trips to the NJSIAA state playoffs all three years.
He has been a part of some successful teams and knows that success comes with hard work, an idea he has imparted onto this year’s team.
”As a freshman up until now, I’ve played with the same desire,” Tyree said. “Being a senior, yeah, this is my last shot. But every year I’m playing for the same thing, to get as far as we can as a team. That really hasn’t changed.
”This year’s team is like a family, we play together and we play hard. We may not be as experienced, but we play with fire, and that is big if we want to win and have a good year.”
Hayston and Tyree knew the team would have the talent to reach the level of a year ago, when the Vikings finished 14-5-1 and reached the GMCT Championship.
But they knew that the leadership void would have to be filled, and that Tyree would have to step into that role.
In response, Tyree had the most intense offseason he has had in his high school career, working out five days a week during the summer and practicing his shot as well as his touches.
This fall, Tyree continued the rigorous routine, adding individual workouts before practice because of his early-release high school schedule.
The extra work has definitely paid off.
”It’s been a drastic improvement in the last year or two,” Hayston said. “All the work he did over the summer has paid off.”

